Old Wood Boat

K-Gr 3--This unusual story is told from the perspective of an old wooden boat that journeys from the boatyard of an elderly man to the open sea when freshly repaired. Readers meet Old Wood Boat covered in brambles and home to small creatures. When a family buys the boat, she is refurbished to her former glory and taken out to sea. Reminiscent of Virginia Lee Burton's The Little House, the ebb and flow of the narrative mirrors the rocking of a boat and the simple text clearly describes each development in the the boat's rebirth. Beautiful prose ("scraps from the past hidden in vines") capture the heart of the story. The stunning paper-cut illustrations stand out with their striking images and intricate details. McClure has written a gorgeous homage of sailing and the sea. Includes a glossary of sailing vocabulary and a two-page blueprint showing the boat's inner workings. VERDICT This book will fit well in all collections regardless of readers' proximity to the sea. Repeat readings will be demanded; children will want to take a closer look at the pictures.--Heidi Dechief

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

A quiet start to this creation by McClure (What Will These Hands Make?) gives little hint of the adventure to come. Old Wood Boat, up on drydock cradles in a yard, "remembers islands and a sea of green." But blackberries twine over the deck, raccoons move in, "and still she waits, softening, oldening." Then a family arrives--one member shakes the elderly boat owner's hand--and the trio of seeming adults (all characters have paper-white skin) set about bringing Old Wood Boat back to life. McClure's striking cut-paper illustrations capture the three as they "scrape and scrub," mending sails while raindrops pelt down outside, then "sand and varnish her until she shines." Even the triumph of a successful launch is just one peak in the story's driving arc. Now the family sails on, encountering the sweep of the ocean and its wildlife--and engaging with the secrets of the boat, too, revealed in an intricate cross-section. McClure uses the language of the sea lyrically ("Old Wood Boat gains speed with the ebb/ and rides the swells with ease"), evoking an unforgettable sense of freedom yielded by wind, salt air, and spray. Back matter includes a glossary and author's note. Ages 4-8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (May)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Old Wood Boat is that magical combination of a captivating story and stunning illustration that makes it a book you'll be happy to read to a young listener over and over again . . . . Some books are so delightful that you find a reader for them. Old Wood Boat is one that will have you looking for a young sailor to give it to, and they'll thank you for it 20 years from now.
—Sailing Magazine